EAST LANSING – Politics and logistics cost Michigan State.
It doesn't diminish the celebration of the Spartans getting the third seed in the College Football Playoff this afternoon. They've earned it. They deserve it. They'll play SEC champion Alabama in a national semifinal at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas on New Year's Eve.
But while the Spartans' jump from No. 5 in last week's CFP rankings to No. 3 will be sold as a deserved reward for a quality team that stood tallest against its toughest competition and a conference that produced more top 25 teams than any other conference, this was more of a result of rewarding the Crimson Tide with a No.